Abbeville (Somme area): Thursday – Place du Grand Marche and the Market Hall
A very big market almost exclusively in the Market Hall, lots of clothes stalls, food stalls, household goods and much else – very traditional. The outdoor market is open until early afternoon and the Market Hall closes at lunchtime.
Well worth a day’s visit for the market, the Church which is the size of a Cathedral -very picturesque and beautiful, plus the great shops.
Le Crotoy (Picardy area) Friday morning – Place Jeanne d’Arc (Tuesday morning summer only)
Small market with food stalls, clothes and household products and rejuvenating salt from the Landes region. This is a lovely place for a traditional market and gives a great flavour of France. There are lots to do in Le Crotoy, its a lively seaside resort, there’s a great beach, lots of restaurants, wonderful cake shops, ad there’s a station for the narrow guage railway line the “Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme” (Somme Bay Railway) – a very popular attraction in the area.
Rue (Picardy area): Saturday morning – Place General Leclerc
A medium sized market with a good selection of food stalls clothes and household goods.
Close to Le Crotoy, it has a quite lovely gothic looking Chapel and is a pretty town.
Amiens
The weekly Saturday morning market along the pretty Quai Belu in the old district of St Leu. In the shadow of the Cathedral has a lovely, festive atmosphere. The market on the water as it’s known, is where the market gardeners of the hortillonnages sell their produce and have done so for centuries. Almost everything here comes from the hortillonnages or around the Somme area. From flowers and vegetables to wild herbs, cheese, honey, charcuterie and even beer. Every third Saturday in June, the market gardeners arrive by traditional flat bottomed boat to sell their goods at the “Marche sur l’eau” (water market). It’s a very colourful and festive event. The market traders dress in medieval costume in this homage to the days of old when market trade was conducted from boats. It’s a delicious day out and lots of fun.
Read more about the hortillonages of Amiens
If you have any information you’d like to share on the street markets of Picardy please do let us know.
